PICCOLO
It had been a week since Gohan had disappeared.
It's safe to say that Lettie kind of… freaked out. It's safe to say I almost freaked out because we just couldn't find the kid anywhere.
We would spend the whole day looking for him, flying over that entire region, calling his name and trying to track his Ki. It felt like we were trapped in a maze because we felt Gohan's Ki, but its location was very uncertain and confusing.
We both didn't train during that week. Our routine was to just look for him and return to Camp to try to eat something. I say try because Lettie couldn't eat anything, and she would just stare at the fire with a terrified look due to thinking she had lost her nephew for good.
And then, she would lie down next to me, as she had done on the first night we lost him, but who said she could fall asleep? The worst part was that I heard her crying softly in the middle of the night, standing guard in my spot next to the fire, and I felt like the most useless of men.
I tried to hide that I was worried about Gohan's well-being as much as she was. He could be a Saiyan, he could be a boy with spectacular powers and strength, however, the image I had of him was that little child I afflicted in the first two months of Training; the one in which I saw the bruises and wounds marking his entire little body, and fear invaded me at the thought that he was lost out there, alone and without any support.
It was impossible not to think about Lettie's words, that I was practically a father to Gohan. I tried to avoid that acknowledgment, however, the more I avoided it, the clearer I realized how, during these eight months of coexistence, a deep paternal feeling towards that boy gradually filled me.
I felt very strange. Gohan was the son of my arch-enemy, the son of the man that, not long ago, I wanted to overpower, but now, it seemed like such a… pointless ambition.
All that made me think of Lettie, who was suffering in silence, deep down blaming herself for losing Gohan, and day after day of his disappearance, she began to get into an intense state of depressive lethargy.
And seeing her in that state hurt me more than her, but I needed to stay strong. For me, for Lettie, and for Gohan.
Exactly seven days after his disappearance, the two of us were back at the Camp at lunchtime, after searching for him all night and morning. The day was cold and cloudy as if reflecting our spirits, and Lettie was sitting in front of the fire I had lit, wrapped in Gohan's blanket, while I filled a bowl with some soup I had prepared.
Her eyes were swollen and red, with streams of silent tears marking her pale, thin face.
I crouched down next to her with the soup. "Lettie..." I gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Come on, you need to eat. We'll still look for him some more today."
Slowly, she turned to me with a blank, lifeless look, and my heart ached. I felt a strong desire to hug her, to cuddle her to my chest and tell her everything would be okay. But I didn't. I didn't have the courage.
What was left was the two of us looking at each other for endless seconds, with our minds in a whirlwind full of worry and tiredness.
It was then that, suddenly, our eyes widened and we straightened up.
Lettie threw off the blanket and jumped up. "D-D-Did you feel that?!?!" She looked around.
"Yes!" I placed the bowl on the ground and got up with her. "It's Gohan's Ki! It is... getting closer!"
We exchanged attentive and alarmed looks, and then we heard, "AUNT LETTIE!!!!!!!! MR. PICCOLO!!!!!!!!!"
Someone was flying quickly towards us.
"GOHAN!!!" we exclaimed in unison.
He flew straight into his aunt's arms, hitting her with such force that she fell back with a thud on the ground.
A sequence of crying, laughing and tears followed, coming from Lettie and Gohan, as I watched them, feeling the weight of a mountain lift off my shoulders.
Gohan then turned to me and flew into my arms, also crying into my neck. "M-Mr. Piccolo!" he sobbed. "I was so scared!"
At first, I had no reaction, with my hands raised at my sides. But I couldn't hold it anymore. I wrapped little Gohan in my arms and fell to my knees, hugging him tightly.
Lettie deliberately snatched him from me, to inspect him from head to toe. I didn't like her behavior, but what could I do? It was understandable.
When Gohan stood between the two of us, we could see the real situation of his condition. He was all filthy and disheveled, and his clothes were torn and worn out.
However, there was something different about him. I couldn't quite say what, but it felt like he had somehow grown up a little. Only then did I realize that during the period in which he was lost, he had turned five years old. Now, even though he still looked like a small child, his gaze and posture showed a certain... maturity and determination that didn't exist before.
What happened to that boy?
Lettie externalized my question.
"After I ran away from the dinosaur in the forest," began Gohan, "I found a gap among the trees and flew out of fear. I'm sorry, Aunt Lettie..."
"It's okay, sweetheart..." She wiped his face, still panting with emotion. "But where did you go to?! We've been looking for you for days!"
"It was very dark, so I couldn't find the Camp, and I flew around until..." He lowered his head. "I got lost."
"Why didn't you track our Ki?" I asked.
"I was terrified, Mr. Piccolo…" Gohan looked at me with shame. "I wasn't able to…"
Lettie sat him on her lap. "Do you know where you ended up? Was it nearby?"
"No..." he denied. "All I know is that my energy ran out and I had to land in a sandy desert. That's when I was swallowed by the earth."
"Swallowed by the earth?!" we exclaimed.
"Yes!" he vehemently confirmed. "I fell into the Nemurien Temple."
Lettie and I exchanged confused looks. For me (and apparently for her too), Gohan was speaking another language. Upon seeing our faces, he explained, "It's an underground archaeological site of a very ancient Temple, hidden beneath the sand. I was scared because it was a dark and quiet place, but I had help from Mr. Robot!"
"Mr. Robot?" Lettie repeated.
"That's right! Inside the Temple, there was a prototype robot from the 3-S series, but it was half buried in the sand, because it was abandoned by the researchers and had not been able to get out for many years. He was as grumpy as Mr. Piccolo!" He gave me a mischievous giggle.
I rolled my eyes as they both laughed at me. At least, Gohan hadn't changed one thing: he was still a nerd.
"I must've been trapped there for more than a day, and I felt very sorry for Mr. Robot for being alone in that place for so long. I wanted to get him out of there, but when I began digging him up, the walls of the Temple weakened and started to collapse on top of us. As soon as Mr. Robot saw a gap in the wall, he forcefully threw me through the hole, and the entire Temple collapsed on him."
Lettie covered her mouth in astonishment. "And what happened to Mr. Robot?!" she asked, so invested in that story as if she were watching a drama movie.
"It..." Gohan was crestfallen, with teary eyes. "It didn't survive."
His aunt gave him a sad look and stroked his hair to comfort him.
"After that," he sighed, "I went to sleep in a cave, and when I woke up, there was a dinosaur sleeping next to me!"
"Was that T-Rex?!" replied Lettie, frightened.
"No... It was a kind species and didn't look well... That's when I realized that it had a huge branch stuck in its belly... It must have suffered some accident and went to sleep in the cave to recover."
"Poor thing!" whimpered Lettie. "Did you help him?"
"Yes! I made a poultice that my daddy taught me once, to heal wounds, and left it to recover while I fetched it some fruit to eat." Gohan turned to me with a smile. "I chose the best fruits, Mr. Piccolo, just like you taught me!"
I found myself feeling a sense of pride. "Good job, Gohan." I blinked, slowly.
"I hope your dinosaur friend recovered well." Lettie stroked his back.
Gohan suddenly showed deep dejection and sadness.
"What is it, sweetheart?" worried Lettie. "Why are you making this face?"
"Wh-When I came back..." Gohan gulped, sobbing softly. "That evil T-Rex that chased us... I-It... It had devoured my dinosaur friend!"
Lettie opened her mouth wide and met my gaze. But what could I say? Gohan, fortunately or unfortunately, had learned the harsh law of nature. It's part of the game…
"Aw..." she said. "I'm so sorry..."
"Thank you, Aunt Lettie..." He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
We remained silent for a moment, until I asked, trying to maintain a calm tone, "And what happened to you after that?"
"I flew away, but I got even more lost, and I ran out of energy again when I arrived at a beach, and I passed out there. When I woke up, I was in a very old and run-down house, and I discovered that it was a deserted city inhabited only by orphaned children who had lost their parents in a terrible tsunami that happened a few years ago."
Lettie placed her hand on her chest, visibly touched. "I remember hearing about this catastrophe on the news..." She looked at me, and, with a nod, I confirmed that I had too. She turned to Gohan, "But, these orphans lived… alone? Was there no adult looking after them?"
"Well..." replied Gohan. "Every day, a woman with a bunch of men went to this abandoned city to try to capture them and take them to orphanages, but the children always managed to escape, because they told me that when they were taken to these places, they were beaten, they suffered punishments and were left without food!"
I noticed that Lettie was quite disturbed by what she heard, and I asked her if she was okay.
"I'm sorry, it's just…" She made a pained expression. "This reminds me of some moments from my childhood..." She gave an embarrassed half-smile. "It's true that there are many good orphanages that help children, but... there are also some horrible ones like these..." She looked down. "I understand their fear, more than I would like."
I felt bad, and the atmosphere between us became a little strange. However, Lettie cleared her throat and undid that expression from before, and asked, "And what did you do when you were with those children, Gohan?"
"Well, I... uh..." He looked embarrassed. "I spent that day with them and... I helped them steal food from the other city..." He looked down at her, fearfully.
I could've sworn Lettie would tell him off for stealing food, but she didn't say anything, just took on a dark, gloomy look. It was then that I thought... Hadn't she done that herself when she lived on the streets at some point when she was hungry?
I couldn't help but create such an image in my head; Lettie, so young, alone and hungry, thrown onto the streets, trying to survive.
My discomfort only got worse.
"Afterwards," continued Gohan, "those guys from the orphanage managed to get the children, but I ran away with the oldest boy and leader of the group with a car that he stole from the men." He turned to Lettie, his eyes full of tears. "Then, he told me that, in the end, those children would have a better future in the orphanage than living alone in that abandoned city, because, for better or worse, they could have a chance to find a new home and a family."
I saw Lettie swallow, clearly holding back a cry stuck in her throat, and I decided to end that conversation as soon as possible. "And how did you find us, Gohan?"
"By some miracle, the leader of the children told me our location, and I discovered that it was very close to my house, and I decided to see my mommy!"
"What?!" I replied.
"Did you go back to your house?!" added Lettie.
Gohan gave us a little smile, which only made us more confused. "Yes, I did. I went to the edge of our woods and even saw Mom standing near my bedroom window, but I left."
Lettie seemed to read my mind when she asked the question that had crossed it, "B-But, why didn't you go talk to her?"
Gohan's smile grew, full of confidence. "Because that was wrong. I really wanted to see my mommy... So much that I cried. But, I'm not a crybaby anymore. I'm a future warrior and I have a mission: defeat the Saiyans and protect the Earth, with my Aunt Lettie and Mr. Piccolo! After I left, I spent the rest of the days looking for you until I found our Camp again! All by myself!"
Wow. That took me by complete surprise.
Now it was explained why Gohan looked different than when we lost him.
Lettie had tears in her eyes, but they were no longer of sadness, but of pride, and she cupped his face, caressing it with her thumbs, "My little boy... you're growing up!"
In response, he threw himself at her and hugged her tightly, and I studied them for a while. Gohan may have grown and matured a little during the week he lived alone, but, deep down, it was clear how much he enjoyed the care, affection, and warmth of his dear Aunt Lettie.
I reached out my hand, stroked his long, disheveled black hair, and said, "Good job, little one."
Gohan turned to me, his eyes gleaming. "Thank you, Mr. Piccolo!"
Lettie then pulled him away and analyzed him from top to bottom with a disapproving and playful expression. "Well, I think that's enough adventures for today." She stood up, taking his hand. "Come on, Gohan, let's take a bath to wash off all this stink!"
"Can we go to the Hot Springs?" he asked.
"Sure... After such a troubled week, we deserve a relaxing moment, don't we?" Lettie turned to me with a smile full of relief.
Returning her smile, I nodded and also stood up, watching them head to the edge of the Camp and fly off towards the Hot Springs. I placed my hands on my hips and reflected on the changes that that boy had shown.
However, when I stopped to analyze, of all the changes that Gohan underwent, there was one that caught my attention:
He was no longer misspelling.
***
That night, we went back to our routine of eating dinner around the campfire, as if nothing had happened.
Well, Gohan was more needy of his aunt and was only able to eat while sitting between her legs, praising her soup as if it were the best feast in the world, for he really had missed Aunt Lettie's soup on the days when he had to provide his own food.
"Don't forget to also thank Mr. Piccolo," she said. "He's the one who brings the food. I just put everything together in the cauldron." She gave me a playful wink and I reciprocated, taking a spoonful of my bowl.
"Thanks for the food, Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan raised his bowl in an imaginary toast. He then let out a loud yawn, slowly blinking his red eyes.
"Hmm, I see that someone is going to bed early today." Lettie stroked his arms. "As soon as you finish your soup, off to bed, okay?"
"Listen, Aunt Lettie..." Gohan yawned again. "Back in the children's abandoned city, they used to tell stories around the campfire. Could you tell me a story?"
"Gee!" She laughed. "I'm not good at this."
"Mr. Piccolo," he turned to me, "would you tell me a story?"
"No."
"Aw..." Gohan's shoulders fell. "Aunt Lettie, it's on you now."
"A story…?" Lettie fixed her hair. "Well... Huh... I think I have one, which I heard from that old lady who taught me how to cook."
We got silent. Even the typical night sounds seemed to quiet down at that moment, everyone paying attention to her words.
"There was a man, owner of a field, who, one day, went out to sow his seed." Her calm, soft voice filled the air around us. "Some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Another part fell on rocky ground and soon sprang up because the earth was not deep. When the sun came out, the plants burned and dried up because they had no roots. Another part fell among thorns, which grew, but were choked. However, some seeds fell on good soil and sprang up into a good harvest; thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times more."
With a smile, Lettie touched the tip of her nephew's nose. "Now tell me, Gohan, what kind of soil are you? One that lets birds eat up its seeds; a rocky and shallow ground; one full of suffocating thorns or... a good, fertile soil that brings many fruits?"
"I want to be a good soil, Aunt Lettie!" replied an excited Gohan.
"So," she stroked his hair, "you've got to work hard for this."
Gohan was thoughtful for a while, until he asked, "But if I am a good soil, what are the seeds and the fruits?"
"The seeds are all the skills and teachings you're learning to fight against people who do evil, like these Saiyans that are coming. The fruits are Goodness, Righteousness and Truth, results of the practice of all these skills and teachings that you acquired."
"Oh... I see!" he replied, but then frowned. "Wait… So, who is the sower?"
"Who do you think it is?"
Gohan thought for a few seconds, until he slowly turned to me with a huge smile. "It's Mr. Piccolo! He's the sower!"
I stopped with a spoonful halfway to my mouth when I saw them both smiling in my direction.
There they were again, gazing at me with that intensity of respect that until now I couldn't understand where it came from, and the only question that ran around in my head was: why?
Why did they like me so much?
Why did they see this admirable person in me?
Why did Gohan look at me like I was a superhero?
And why did Lettie look at me as if I were the most honorable man she had ever met, when I had never done anything worthy of honor in my life?
We held our gazes for long seconds, while my chest burned with a strange sensation, stirring me from the depths of my core, until Lettie lifted Gohan from her lap and said, "Enough stories for today. Say goodnight to Mr. Piccolo and let's go to bed."
Gohan ran up to me and hugged me tightly, almost making me drop my soup. "Good night, Mr. Piccolo! I can't wait for us to start training again tomorrow!" He flexed his little arms. "You'll see how much stronger I've become!"
I responded with a shy smile, still recovering from that sudden hug, and watched them walk away. Before going into the tent after Gohan, Lettie looked back and gave me another wink, and finally left me there, alone with the fire, the soup and my troubled thoughts.
How long would I punish myself for the mistakes of my past?